| General Fiction posted July 20, 2017 | Chapters: |
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Iris is taken to the OR
A chapter in the book Iris
April 27th
by Heather Knight
Previously in Because I Found You In A Cabbage Patch: Iris's pediatrician was worried by her blood test results and told her mother to take her to hospital.
Once the nurse had left, Mum helped me out of my clothes and into the hospital nightgown. Then, she told me she had to go out to make some calls.
She went out into the corridor and closed the door behind her.
I knew she was going to call Nana. She always does when she's upset.
At first, I didn't move, but then I decided I wanted to hear what she was saying, so I tiptoed towards the door and opened it again silently.
I could hear Mum speaking, but it was difficult to make out what she was saying. Suddenly, however, a sentence floated towards me, a sentence that froze me on the spot.
'They think she might have leukemia.'
I went back to my bed, lay down and started crying.
How could life be so cruel? Leukemia had killed my Dad and now it was going to kill me?
After a while Mum came back.
'Iris? What's wrong?'
'I heard what you said. You said I have leukemia.'
'I said you might have it, love,' she whispered, patting me on the shoulder uncertainly, as if afraid of my reaction.
'Does that mean I'm going to die?' I asked her after a while.
'No, of course not.'
'But Dad...'
'Dad's leukemia was different, sweetie.'
And then we both started crying. I think I cried myself to sleep because I don't remember anything else about yesterday. I must have slept a million hours.
This morning two nurses came to take me down to the OR, as they call it in American films. Mum asked if she could come with us.
'No, you'll have to wait here, Mrs Garcia.'
Her face was so sad that it made my heart break a little. It's in moments like this that I realize Mum doesn't have the strength to carry any amount of drama on her shoulders. She counted on Dad to support her and now he's gone.
'See you in a while, Mum,' I said, forcing myself to smile.
The operating theatre was a most interesting place. It was full of machines and futuristic-looking equipment. Despite my sadness, I couldn't help being curious.
'Hello, Iris!'
I looked around and saw Dr Brown.
'You're here!'
'Of course. You know you're my favourite patient.'
I smiled up at him gratefully. Even if it was not true, it was nice to hear him say that.
Two nurses weighed me to see how much anesthetic I needed and then I was told to lie on my tummy.
'So what happens now?' I asked.
'First we inject you with anesthetic so that you cannot feel the pain.'
'And then?'
'Then we extract some cells from your bone marrow to see what's wrong with you.'
I can't say I liked the sound of that, but there was nothing I could do.
I got a first injection and then we waited for a while. I heard the doctors say it was not enough. So they gave me another one. And then a third one.
'You're a tough cookie, Iris. You should be asleep by now,' Dr Brown said. 'We have given you enough anesthetic to put a horse to sleep.
I smiled despite myself and then laughed. I was going to beat this thing. Looking at me, everybody in the OR started laughing as well.
In the end, they had to do the biopsy with me fully awake. Fortunately, it didn't hurt much.
An hour later, I was taken back to Mum.
'So?' she asked looking at Dr Brown.
'We've already injected her a first dose of chemo.'
Mum sat down.
'She has leukemia, then?'
'She does. But remember ALL is curable. She'll be back to school in no time.'
'What's ALL?' I asked.
'Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.'
'Sounds grand.'
'There's a slight logistic problem though. We don't have an oncology department here, so we'll have to transfer you to Great Hunsford Hospital.'
'When?'
'Tomorrow. But Dr Ingram is about to open a Children's Cancer wing here, so as soon as it's ready you'll be back. Dr Ingram is one of the best in the field and she's a personal friend of mine. I've already told her about you.'
Previously in Because I Found You In A Cabbage Patch: Iris's pediatrician was worried by her blood test results and told her mother to take her to hospital.
Once the nurse had left, Mum helped me out of my clothes and into the hospital nightgown. Then, she told me she had to go out to make some calls.
She went out into the corridor and closed the door behind her.
I knew she was going to call Nana. She always does when she's upset.
At first, I didn't move, but then I decided I wanted to hear what she was saying, so I tiptoed towards the door and opened it again silently.
I could hear Mum speaking, but it was difficult to make out what she was saying. Suddenly, however, a sentence floated towards me, a sentence that froze me on the spot.
'They think she might have leukemia.'
I went back to my bed, lay down and started crying.
How could life be so cruel? Leukemia had killed my Dad and now it was going to kill me?
After a while Mum came back.
'Iris? What's wrong?'
'I heard what you said. You said I have leukemia.'
'I said you might have it, love,' she whispered, patting me on the shoulder uncertainly, as if afraid of my reaction.
'Does that mean I'm going to die?' I asked her after a while.
'No, of course not.'
'But Dad...'
'Dad's leukemia was different, sweetie.'
And then we both started crying. I think I cried myself to sleep because I don't remember anything else about yesterday. I must have slept a million hours.
This morning two nurses came to take me down to the OR, as they call it in American films. Mum asked if she could come with us.
'No, you'll have to wait here, Mrs Garcia.'
Her face was so sad that it made my heart break a little. It's in moments like this that I realize Mum doesn't have the strength to carry any amount of drama on her shoulders. She counted on Dad to support her and now he's gone.
'See you in a while, Mum,' I said, forcing myself to smile.
The operating theatre was a most interesting place. It was full of machines and futuristic-looking equipment. Despite my sadness, I couldn't help being curious.
'Hello, Iris!'
I looked around and saw Dr Brown.
'You're here!'
'Of course. You know you're my favourite patient.'
I smiled up at him gratefully. Even if it was not true, it was nice to hear him say that.
Two nurses weighed me to see how much anesthetic I needed and then I was told to lie on my tummy.
'So what happens now?' I asked.
'First we inject you with anesthetic so that you cannot feel the pain.'
'And then?'
'Then we extract some cells from your bone marrow to see what's wrong with you.'
I can't say I liked the sound of that, but there was nothing I could do.
I got a first injection and then we waited for a while. I heard the doctors say it was not enough. So they gave me another one. And then a third one.
'You're a tough cookie, Iris. You should be asleep by now,' Dr Brown said. 'We have given you enough anesthetic to put a horse to sleep.
I smiled despite myself and then laughed. I was going to beat this thing. Looking at me, everybody in the OR started laughing as well.
In the end, they had to do the biopsy with me fully awake. Fortunately, it didn't hurt much.
An hour later, I was taken back to Mum.
'So?' she asked looking at Dr Brown.
'We've already injected her a first dose of chemo.'
Mum sat down.
'She has leukemia, then?'
'She does. But remember ALL is curable. She'll be back to school in no time.'
'What's ALL?' I asked.
'Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.'
'Sounds grand.'
'There's a slight logistic problem though. We don't have an oncology department here, so we'll have to transfer you to Great Hunsford Hospital.'
'When?'
'Tomorrow. But Dr Ingram is about to open a Children's Cancer wing here, so as soon as it's ready you'll be back. Dr Ingram is one of the best in the field and she's a personal friend of mine. I've already told her about you.'
Once the nurse had left, Mum helped me out of my clothes and into the hospital nightgown. Then, she told me she had to go out to make some calls.
She went out into the corridor and closed the door behind her.
I knew she was going to call Nana. She always does when she's upset.
At first, I didn't move, but then I decided I wanted to hear what she was saying, so I tiptoed towards the door and opened it again silently.
I could hear Mum speaking, but it was difficult to make out what she was saying. Suddenly, however, a sentence floated towards me, a sentence that froze me on the spot.
'They think she might have leukemia.'
I went back to my bed, lay down and started crying.
How could life be so cruel? Leukemia had killed my Dad and now it was going to kill me?
After a while Mum came back.
'Iris? What's wrong?'
'I heard what you said. You said I have leukemia.'
'I said you might have it, love,' she whispered, patting me on the shoulder uncertainly, as if afraid of my reaction.
'Does that mean I'm going to die?' I asked her after a while.
'No, of course not.'
'But Dad...'
'Dad's leukemia was different, sweetie.'
And then we both started crying. I think I cried myself to sleep because I don't remember anything else about yesterday. I must have slept a million hours.
This morning two nurses came to take me down to the OR, as they call it in American films. Mum asked if she could come with us.
'No, you'll have to wait here, Mrs Garcia.'
Her face was so sad that it made my heart break a little. It's in moments like this that I realize Mum doesn't have the strength to carry any amount of drama on her shoulders. She counted on Dad to support her and now he's gone.
'See you in a while, Mum,' I said, forcing myself to smile.
The operating theatre was a most interesting place. It was full of machines and futuristic-looking equipment. Despite my sadness, I couldn't help being curious.
'Hello, Iris!'
I looked around and saw Dr Brown.
'You're here!'
'Of course. You know you're my favourite patient.'
I smiled up at him gratefully. Even if it was not true, it was nice to hear him say that.
Two nurses weighed me to see how much anesthetic I needed and then I was told to lie on my tummy.
'So what happens now?' I asked.
'First we inject you with anesthetic so that you cannot feel the pain.'
'And then?'
'Then we extract some cells from your bone marrow to see what's wrong with you.'
I can't say I liked the sound of that, but there was nothing I could do.
I got a first injection and then we waited for a while. I heard the doctors say it was not enough. So they gave me another one. And then a third one.
'You're a tough cookie, Iris. You should be asleep by now,' Dr Brown said. 'We have given you enough anesthetic to put a horse to sleep.
I smiled despite myself and then laughed. I was going to beat this thing. Looking at me, everybody in the OR started laughing as well.
In the end, they had to do the biopsy with me fully awake. Fortunately, it didn't hurt much.
An hour later, I was taken back to Mum.
'So?' she asked looking at Dr Brown.
'We've already injected her a first dose of chemo.'
Mum sat down.
'She has leukemia, then?'
'She does. But remember ALL is curable. She'll be back to school in no time.'
'What's ALL?' I asked.
'Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.'
'Sounds grand.'
'There's a slight logistic problem though. We don't have an oncology department here, so we'll have to transfer you to Great Hunsford Hospital.'
'When?'
'Tomorrow. But Dr Ingram is about to open a Children's Cancer wing here, so as soon as it's ready you'll be back. Dr Ingram is one of the best in the field and she's a personal friend of mine. I've already told her about you.'
The picture shows the real Iris in Stratford just before she became ill.
In the video below you can see what she looks like now:
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